Chained To You
by SophieWofy
Summary: Set between S23 and 24. Holly Miles is back, as is Nikki. Roxy's daughter Nicole is kidnapped on a school trip. Features old and new characters, can read without prior knowledge of classic Casualty though.
1. Prologue

_Author's Notes: Set between series 23 and 24, with returning characters from older series. Don't worry, I'm not un-canonising anything, just maybe rewriting series 24 as we know it. If anybody wants a specific character to have a role, as long as they weren't killed off, I'll see what I can do. Just let me know :) _

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There was only so far you could travel before you had to set off on the return journey, Nikki mused as the plane landed in Holby City Airport. She had spent the best part of the last five years in such far-flung places as Thailand, New Zealand and Namibia, but money had begun to wear thin, and nobody wanted to employ an English girl with only one fully-functioning arm. So, after some consideration, she had phoned up Holby City Hospital, and asked if there were any job vacancies.

As luck would have it, they were looking for a few new people. One of the paramedics had recently died, leaving a vacancy that Nikki knew she couldn't personally fill, given her condition, but would happily do the admin for them to relieve the other paramedics for duty. Given her experience in the field, they were more than happy to let her work for them, and so that was how come, two weeks later after the phone call, Nikki was leaving the jungles of Madagascar for the madness of Holby.


	2. Chapter 1

"Come on, or we'll both be late." Holly Miles stood, hands on hips, at the bottom of the stairs. Her eight year old son, Patrick, sulked as he stomped down them, school jumper tied around his waist.

"I hate school."

"Well, I don't particularly like working either. I'd much rather stay at home and play all day, but I can't do that, and neither can you. Now, get in the car." Holly handed him the Doctor Who emblazoned lunchbox and he took it moodily.

"Can we stay at home today? Please?"

"I've been through this, Patrick. You are not taking the day off school, because I can't get the time off work to look after you. Especially not now I'm working at the hospital."

"You never used to work before. And I never had to go to school."

"That was different. That was when we could afford to travel. Now we need the money, and you need to go to school." Holly grabbed her jacket and handbag from the hook by the stairs and shut the front door. She unlocked their red Fiat and let Patrick climb into the passenger seat while she wheeled the dustbin to the front of their drive. "Anyway, you've got that trip today. You don't want to miss out on that, do you?"

"I suppose so." But Patrick still wasn't convinced.

It didn't take long to get to Holby Primary School, where Patrick was turfed out, much to his annoyance. Holly escorted him to the gate to make sure he would actually go in, then waved goodbye as he ran over to immediately joined in with a group of boys who were kicking a ball about.

"Excuse me." Holly felt someone tap her shoulder, and she turned around. "You're Patrick's mum, right?"

Holly nodded. "Holly Miles."

"Roxy Bird. I think my Nicole's taken a liking to your boy. All I seem to be hearing is 'Patrick this, Patrick that'. She never shuts up about him, then she tells me she hates boys."

Holly chuckled. "I'd better keep an eye on him then. I don't want him turning out a womanizer like his dad." She looked at her watch, frowning. "Look, it's been nice chatting, but I've really got to get to work. See you around, yeah?"

Roxy nodded. "I suppose I'd better be off, too. The bills don't pay themselves."

###

Holly managed to pull into the car park at three minutes to nine. She locked the car and almost ran into the hospital. "I'm sorry," she gasped as she opened her locker and threw in her handbag.

Zoe, who was at the next locker, laughed. "Don't worry about it. I know how hard it is with a kid. I manage to be late even when I don't have a kid to look after."

Holly smiled. "I'm meant to be on at nine."

"Me too. And according to that clock, we've got three, two, one, patient time." She walked out of the staff room. Holly closed her locker and followed to the station in the middle of the ED.

"Morning, Holly." Jessica picked up a file and walked over to her. "How's Patrick? Still hating school?"

Holly nodded. "I can't seem to work out what's wrong with him. Did your two ever go through that phase?"

"Lucas loves his sport, so it's the football at break times that gets him there in the mornings. And Amelia's never really complained; she's got her best friend so the only time I have problems is when Nicole's ill."

"Talking of ill." Holly picked up a file from the pile on the desk and scanned the name. She walked over to the gathered patients. "Gilmore Harris?"

A middle-aged man with a huge afro stood up and walked towards Holly. She led the way to cubicle three.

"It's Gilly," the man told her as soon as the curtain was closed.

Holly nodded. "Right then, Gilly, so you're having chest problems?"

###

Three o'clock came too soon, and Holly was back in her car, racing to the school to collect Patrick. She had barely reached the gate when Roxy came running up to her, hysterical.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Holly asked, concerned.

"Someone's taken Nicole!" Roxy wailed. "It was the park trip today, and they let the kids play on the swings at the end. The school called me at work. Nicole vanished!"

Holly pulled the woman into a hug. "It'll be alright," she vowed. "They'll find her."


	3. Chapter 2

After leaving her suitcase at her parents' house, Nikki had set out for a walk around Holby. It had been years since she had been home, and she needed some time to get reacquainted with the place. Her brother and sister were coming down for a celebratory meal, but as her brother had to travel down from Manchester, the meal wasn't going to be until later in the evening.

She walked through the park, the warm September sun beating down on her bare arms. In the swing park in the far corner of the park a group of schoolchildren were playing. Nikki remembered coming to the park as a child, and supposed the intended purpose of the visit was to look at the old manor house in the middle of it. She didn't see the point in that; the only thing in a park that seemed to interest children was the climbing frames. She walked closer to the fence and leant against it, watching the children play. If she had decided to stay in Holby, she could have had children of her own by now. But kids and travelling don't mix, and nobody she had met on her travels had been the type of man she wanted to settle down with. So now she was back in Holby, five years older but still just as single as the day she had left.

Nikki watched as a man went over to one of the girls who was playing on a slide by the gate. She suspected he was one of her teachers, so she didn't think anything of it when the two started talking and then the girl followed the man towards the gate. However, the scream from one of the other girls caused the man to grab her hand and run, knocking Nikki out of the way as he picked the child up in a piggy-back.

Nikki winced as her good arm was crushed under her body as she fell, and struggled to get to her feet. She felt like a seal as she had to wriggle onto her knees in order to get herself upright. After the paralysis, she tried not to get into situations she couldn't deal with one-handed, but the inevitable always happened.

"Are you alright?" A male voice asked, and Nikki took the hand that belonged to the speaker to pull herself up. "Did you see which way he went?"

Nikki nodded and pointed. "If you're going after him, I'll call the police."

"Thanks." The man ran off in the direction Nikki had pointed, leaving the shaken woman to recover. She took a few tentative steps over to a bench, where she sat down and tried to take in what had just happened. She took her phone out of her pocket and dialled 999, completely ignoring the fact it wasn't even on a British network. She got through, however, and explained that she had just witnessed the kidnap of a young girl.

The police turned up in under five minutes, somewhat of a record. Nikki knew from experience that she often had to wait around for the police to show up, but they had obviously improved their punctuality in five years. Either that, or they considered the abduction of a young child a priority. They ignored her, however, as they went into the swing park, where the rest of the children had been seated in a line with their backs against the hedge. Some were in tears, Nikki could see. She was almost in tears herself. Having been abducted on her wedding day back when she was a technician, she could have a pretty good guess at how the girl would be feeling.

Eventually, one of the police officers came out and spoke to her. "Were you the woman who phoned the police?"

Nikki nodded. "That's me."

"Do you mind coming down the station to answer a few questions, Ms-?"

"Marshall. Nikki Marshall."

"Ms Marshall. We just need to take a witness statement."

"Alright." Nikki followed the police officer back to his car. She'd only been back in Holby a few hours, yet the crazy situation made her feel as though she'd never left at all.


	4. Chapter 3

Despite Holly's best efforts, Roxy remained hysterical. The two women sat in the headmaster's office, hearing the story of what had happened to Nicole. Roxy was insistent that Holly stayed with her, and the doctor felt compelled to oblige. She knew how much she would hate to be told how Patrick had disappeared without anyone there to support her.

Holly had, much to her son's embarrassment, embraced him in a hug as soon as he walked out of the classroom, letter in hand. He had pulled a face, but she knew he was secretly glad that she had shown how much she loved him. The boy was now waiting in one of the year two classrooms, helping the teacher put up a display, as he was making too much noise while sitting in the corridor. He wasn't being noisy, he had insisted, just talking to himself, but he was glad when Miss Murray had asked him to help out. Being alone in the corridor was boring and felt too much like punishment.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Roxy whispered as she left the office. "They'd better find her; I can't live without Nicole."

"They will," Holly reassured her. She looked along the corridor for her son, calling his name. "Where's that boy? Patrick!"

Patrick's mop of brown hair appeared around the doorframe at the end of the corridor. "Hey, Mum. I'm helping Miss Murray with her display. Come and look."

Holly breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright. One look and then we've got to go."

"But I'm having fun."

"We've got to go," Holly repeated firmly. She put a hand on Roxy's arm. "I'll drive you home if you like."

Roxy nodded. "Thankyou."

Holly walked along the corridor and into the classroom. The young teacher was standing on a chair, stapling posters, while Patrick was carefully cutting out pictures. He seemed focused on his work, a far cry from the hyperactive child the teachers usually described him as.

"Come on," she said eventually, unable to take her eyes away from him.

Patrick put down the scissors. "Bye, Miss Murray."

"Thanks for helping me, Patrick. You were very helpful. I'll see you tomorrow."

Patrick waved as Holly took his hand and led him out of the class. Roxy was sitting in a chair in the corridor, crying.

"Hey," Holly soothed, walking over to her. "It'll be alright. The police are looking for her. You need to keep calm and try not to worry. She'll be found soon enough."

"Easy for you to say," Roxy sobbed. "They don't always find missing children. What if they don't find Nicole?"

Holly shrugged as she put an arm around her. "I don't know. I'm just praying they will."

"I think that man was Nicole's dad," Patrick piped up. "I heard her tell Milly that her dad was back, but she wasn't allowed to tell anyone because he's hiding from the police and it's a secret. Maybe he took Nicole to live with him. "

"What?" Roxy looked up. "Hak better not be back. If he is, and he's taken my baby, I don't think I'll ever be seeing her again."


	5. Chapter 4

_As FF_._Net wouldn't let me upload a chapter on Thursday for some reason, today's special treat is a double update :) _

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Two hours later, Nikki was out of the police station, having been intensively questioned about the man she saw, why she was even in the park and why she'd come back to Holby. They didn't seem to buy the story of her paralysed arm until they actually tried to get her to pick a pen up from the table and open a drawer to put it away. When she put the pen into her mouth to hold it while she used her left hand to open the drawer, it seemed they were finally convinced.

The incident annoyed her no end. Not only was it extremely difficult with only one functioning limb, the fact that she still outwardly appeared to have both arms meant that rarely did anyone think she had paralysis. The number of times she'd had to explain it at airports and hotels when she asked for help with her luggage was countless. Although she'd somewhat hardened to the initial judgements of her being a lazy liar, and then the sympathy when they found out the truth, she didn't think she'd ever get used to her situation.

Nikki had called her mother when she left the police station, and arranged to meet the family outside the restaurant. It was why she was now pacing up and down the street, just desperate for the disastrous day to end. Her good arm hurt from when she had fallen on it, and it had brought back bad memories of her fall. She rarely had nightmares about it anymore, but they were still triggered occasionally, and today seemed like it had been one of those trigger events.

A spot of rain landed on her head. Typical British weather. The street was quiet as she walked back up towards the restaurant, with the exception of music coming from one of the houses, a car skidding around the corner and a young couple rowing outside a shop.

"Nikki!" Her younger sister Abi threw her arms around her from behind in a surprise hug. Nikki turned around and returned the hug with one arm. "How are you? You're so tanned!"

Nikki smiled. "It's been a good few years. You've grown so much."

"I was still in school when you left," Abi reminded her. "Now I'm working for the council. Mum said you've got a job back at the hospital."

"Yeah, I'm starting tomorrow, doing admin and stuff. There's not many places that'll employ me now."

"Because of your arm, right? Hey, how do you manage to eat with one hand?"

Nikki was saved from explaining the particularities by the arrival of her parents, Daniel and Sarah.

"Darren's going to meet us inside. I booked a table earlier, so we might as well go sit down and stay out of the rain."

Nikki nodded and followed her mother inside. The four of them sat around a circular table by the window so they could see Darren when he arrived.

"How does it feel to be home?" Daniel asked, flagging over the waiter with his arm to order drinks.

"Like I've never left," Nikki admitted. "I can spend five years abroad having as much fun as possible, but a couple of hours in Holby and it's just like old times."

"Can we have a bottle of white wine for the table, please?" Daniel asked the waiter, before turning back to his daughter. "It's like this place is cursed or something."

"It probably is," Abi laughed. "People say there's a ghost in the car park at work."

Nikki shuddered at the mention of car parks. Ever since the accident, she'd developed a fear of multi-stories and tall building; something she considered rational, given her circumstance. "So what exactly is it you do at work?"

"You don't want to hear all the boring details she goes into," Sarah teased. "Tell us about your trip. Where was the best place you've been?"

Nikki paused to consider this. "Japan was amazing; it's so modern. Then the safari in Namibia was just wow." She looked up as Darren walked in front of the restaurant window, and waved. Moments later, he was inside, and sitting at the table next to Nikki.

"I was beginning to think you'd never come back to England."

"The compensation money can't last forever," Nikki sighed.

"Your wine, sir." The waiter set the bottle down on the table.

Daniel poured it into each of the five glasses, and raised his. "To Nikki." The rest of his family did the same, and echoed the same toast.


	6. Chapter 5

Roxy tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep. The display on her alarm clock illuminated the time. 03:13. She hadn't had any sleep and if she was totally honest, she doubted she would be able to. She didn't see the point in sleeping; she'd much rather be out there, looking for Nicole.

But the police officer that visited her house had insisted she tried to get some sort of rest. At around two in the morning, she had begrudgingly obeyed, after scouring the internet, phone book and anything that could give a clue as to where Hakkim was. If he had taken Nicole, as Patrick seemed to think was the case, then her best chance of finding her daughter was finding her ex.

Roxy sobbed into Nicole's favourite teddy, a multicoloured bear named Blob. It had been a birthday present when she was three, and since then the toy had been an instant favourite. Roxy breathed in the scent and hugged it tight.

###

After years of hotel beds, the spare room in her parents' house wasn't the most comfortable. But it was where she'd be sleeping until she had enough to afford her own place. She'd fallen asleep quite quickly once the meal was over, jet-lagged.

_She was falling. Fear raced through her mind; images of her family and friends flashed as the ground rushed towards her. She screamed as she hit the floor._

Nikki sat up with a jolt, sweating and shaking. It was the nightmare again, plaguing her. It was less frequent now, and for that she was thankful. At the start, it had been almost every night, making sleep intolerable. Somehow she'd survived on coffee and energy drinks, sleeping maybe three or four hours when she couldn't last any longer.

She knew exactly what had triggered it, too. She was due to start at the hospital in the morning, and anxiety plagued her. Her old colleagues would have welcomed her, but by the sounds of it, Comfort, Josh and the others had all left some time ago, leaving a group of people she didn't know. Would they try and limit the things she could do, not fully understanding her capabilities? Would they be people that were impossible to get along with?

###

Patrick couldn't sleep. He liked Nicole, and Amelia had told him that Nicole liked him as well. As in, properly liked him. Not loved him, because that was just silly and only people that went out loved each other, unless it was your parents or baby brother. But liked him as much as was possible without loving him. And the thought that he might never see her again was horrible.

He got out of bed and tiptoed into his mother's room. "Mum?" he whispered, touching her arm.

"What is it, love?" Holly sat up and turned the bedside light on.

"I can't sleep. Can I come in your bed?"

"Alright." Holly pulled back the queen-sized duvet to let her son climb in. There was plenty of room for them both in the double bed, and she turned the light off once he was settled beside her.

Patrick cuddled her tightly. "I love you."

Holly kissed his head. "I love you too."


	7. Chapter 6

When the alarm on her mobile phone went off at eight o'clock, Nikki turned it off and buried her head under the pillow. It was only the sudden realisation that she was at home rather than in a hotel that made her sit up and force her legs to walk to the shower. She had to be in the hospital at nine, and she was beginning to regret not paying the extra money for a weekend flight. It would have given her a couple more days to get over her jet lag; that was for sure.

Her uniform from when she worked for the ambulance service before had been put in storage, and her mother had found it out and washed it all before Nikki got home. It had been folded and placed in the wardrobe, so all she had to do was find some clean underwear out of her suitcase and she was sorted. A quick brush of her hair and she pulled it back into a ponytail, then she was done. She had her shoes on and was on her way to work at twenty to nine, eating a banana as she walked.

She was surprised how familiar the route to the hospital was. When she'd lived in the hospital residences, mainly just because she was desperate to get away from her parents, she had taken a different route, but she still knew the way from her parents' house without stopping to think about it.

Nikki wondered how many of her former friends and colleagues still remained. She didn't know any of the people she had spoken to during the several phone calls, and whether that would prove to be a good or bad thing, she wasn't sure. The last thing she wanted was people who remembered her from before to treat her as though she was the same person. The accident, and the subsequent years travelling, had changed her.

The front of the hospital hadn't changed much, she mused as she approached the ambulance bay. Two people were sitting in the back of one ambulance, legs dangling. A woman stood in front of them, chatting. Nikki walked over to them.

"Hi," she said quietly.

The woman turned around and hugged her. "You're Nikki, right? I'm Polly. Welcome to Holby."

Nikki smiled. "Thanks. And yeah, that's me."

The man and woman who had been sitting down stood up. "Hey there. I'm Jeff, and this is Dixie. Ignore anything she says. She thinks she's the boss around here."

"I think you'll find I am the boss, darling. Jeffrey here's a bit delusional today. That's why I'm sending him out with Polly on the next shout. I know you know your way around here, but the system's changed completely since you were here last, so I'll show you everything today just to get you used to it all again. Alright?"

"Yeah, that's great. Thanks a lot."

"Jeffrey, go and fetch Nikki a coffee, will you?" Dixie walked through towards the office, followed by the others. The three women sat down as Jeff put the kettle on.

"So you used to work at Holby before?" Polly asked.

Nikki nodded. "I was here for a few years before I went travelling, yeah. But I don't really want to talk about it."

"Why?"

Nikki sighed, and gestured towards her paralysed arm. "The reason I stopped working here was because my arm was paralysed after I was taken hostage and thrown from a car park. It's not the cheeriest of topics, and I don't really want to talk about the day my career got ruined."

Polly gasped. "I had no idea. Why did they take you hostage?"

"Drugs? Who knows, really?"

The group were interrupted by Jeff's radio crackling into life. He took the shout, then headed off to the ambulance with Polly.

"So," Dixie smiled, turning to Nikki. "Let's get you sorted with this system."


	8. Chapter 7

Jeff and Polly were at the scene within five minutes, beaten only by a police car. They were greeted with an upturned car at a set of traffic lights, into which a van had ploughed, trapping the driver of the car. Polly had seen car accidents, but none as bad as this one.

"There's a young girl in the passenger seat of the car," one of the policewomen told her as she approached.

Jeff nodded, joining them. "We'll probably need the fire brigade to get them out of this one. Looks pretty bad to me." He went over and crouched down by the passenger door. "Alright there sweetheart? Can you hear me?"

There was a muffled response from the girl. "Wa' mum."

"Ok, darling, we'll try and get your mum. Can you tell me your name?"

"N'ole."

"Nicole?"

"Y'h. Wa' mum. Wa' g'out."

"Alright, Nicole. We'll try and get you out, I promise. Can you move your leg?"

Nicole tried, then shook her head. "Hur's."

"Ok, try and stay still. We'll give you something for the pain." Jeff walked across to get the bag. "Poll? How's the driver doing?"

"Van driver's dead on arrival. Car driver's leg probably needs amputating, looks impossible to get him out. We'll need a doctor on-scene."

"Alright, I'll radio in. We could do with another crew out here, too."

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Nikki was sat at the desk when Dixie's radio went off. She habitually stood up to take the shout, stopping only when Dixie put a hand on her shoulder.

"Where are you going?"

"We've got a shout."

"I've got a shout. I thought we agreed over the phone you wouldn't be doing any shouts. It's the one condition of you not having any training before starting. Anyway, there's a doctor coming in the ambulance. RTC, young girl and a man trapped. You can monitor from the computer if you like."

"Please. Just one shout." Nikki followed Dixie to the ambulance, persistent. "My last shout ended up with my paralysis. I need to go on one, just one, to help me deal with that. It's the one thing that's been plaguing me, my last memory of working here ending in disaster. If my last shout can be something different, I'd be happy."

As Holly appeared in the ambulance area, Dixie relented. "Alright. But just this one shout. Jump in. Holly, you ready?"

"As I can be," Holly replied, climbing into the back of the ambulance.

It wasn't a long ride to the crash site, and soon the three were out of the ambulance, joining Jeff and Polly by the car.

Jeff filled them in. "We've got Nicole, who's got her leg trapped but is conscious, and her father, who's unconscious and we can't get him out without amputating. We take his leg off or when the car gets cut, he'll bleed to death. It's only the bonnet that's keeping him alive now."

"Nicole?" Holly echoed, crouching down to see the little girl's face. She recognised her instantly, and raised a hand to her mouth. "That's Roxy's kid."

"Roxy?" Nikki asked, surprised. "As in, used to be a nurse at Holby Roxy?"

Holly nodded. "She's in the same class as my Patrick. We've got to save her. What are the chances, Jeff?"

"Her more than the father," Jeff supplied quietly. "But only if we work quickly. We might lose them both otherwise."

Nikki didn't know what to do. While everyone was rushing around, trying to free the trapped pair, she felt like a spare part. She had carried the bag from the ambulance, but there wasn't much else she could do. Dixie and Jeff were assisting Holly with the amputation. As the doctor worked, Nicole screamed at seeing the amputation. Nikki rushed over and crouched by the car door.

"It's alright," she soothed. "Look at me. It's not hurting him."

"Wan' mum," Nicole wailed.

"I know you do, sweetheart. Everyone wants their mum when they get hurt."

"Do you?"

Nikki nodded, and swallowed. "I was in an accident a few years ago. I wanted my mum then."

"R'ly? Wh'ppened?"

"Really. What happened to my arm is a bit like what's going to happen to your dad's leg. He won't be able to use it any more. But it won't be that bad. I got used to it."

"You only go' one arm?"

Nikki shook her head. She moved her paralysed arm so it balanced on the open window space with her good arm, then leant on it. "I have two arms? See? But I can only use one."

Nicole's eyes widened. "Wow. Wha'sy'ame?"

"Me? I'm Nikki."

"S'like mine," Nicole declared, smiling slightly. "'M Nicole."

Dixie's voice cut in. "We've got him out. Nicole, hold on, sweetheart, and we'll get you out in a minute."

"Stay wi' me," Nicole begged as Nikki made to stand.

"Alright," Nikki reassured her. "I'm still here."

Dixie and two firemen raced around to Nicole's side of the car as Polly and Jeff rushed Hakkim into the ambulance. There was blood everywhere, and it was all Nikki could do to keep her shock from being voiced. The last thing she wanted to do was upset the young girl after all the time she'd spent calming her down.

"Ok, Nicole, we're going to get you out of here and onto a stretcher, alright?"

Nicole nodded. "'Kay."

"Don't move your head."

"'Kay." There was a pause as Holly opened the door and checked Nicole over. Suddenly, the girl let out a cry. "Ni'i?"

"What's the matter, darling?"

"Can' feel my arm."

Nikki closed her eyes. She didn't want Nicole to suffer the same way she did. It was hard with one arm paralysed, as from first impressions, there appeared to be nothing wrong with her, which led inevitably to disapproving looks when she asked for help and a lengthy explanation which still didn't satisfy everyone. At least she had lived before her accident. Nicole was only young. It just wasn't fair.

"Nikki? Are you alright?" Dixie's voice stirred her from her flashback.

Nikki blinked, then nodded. "Yeah. Sorry."

"We're going to get Nicole back to Holby. Jeff and Poll have gone with her dad. Are you coming?"

"Yeah." But even as she spoke, Nikki began to doubt her place in Holby.


	9. Chapter 8

_Sorry for not updating this in ages, life's been busy. I've had this chapter sitting on my computer, and I was sure I'd uploaded it. It seemed I hadn't. So, here y'go. A little later than intended, but still. Better late than never._

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Holly and Nikki sat in the back of the ambulance as Dixie drove back. Nicole was still unable to feel her arm, something which made her hysterical.

"How about if I let you call your mum?" Holly asked. "Will you calm and let me help you then?"

"I do'no her num'a!"

"I do." Holly reached into her pocket and pulled out her mobile phone, scrolling through to find Roxy's number.

"How?"

"I'm Patrick's mummy."

Nicole stared up at her. "Really?"

"Really. Right, it's calling. I'm just going to speak to her first, to let her know you're ok."

"Bu' I'm not ok. Can' feel my arm!"

Nikki reached over and touched Nicole's hand. "Remember what I told you about my arm?"

"Y'h."

"I haven't been able to feel my arm for five years. But do you know where I've been for most of that time?"

"No."

"Travelling. You name a country, I've been somewhere near it, if not actually to it. And now I'm back, working. Only having one arm that works hasn't stopped me, and I'll be damned if it stops you as well. And that's only if the doctors can't fix it for you, and they're an amazing bunch of people in there." Nikki stopped to take a deep breath.

Holly put a hand on her shoulder. "Nik? Let her talk to her mum now." She held out the phone to Nicole's ear.

"Mummy?" Nicole asked.

"Darling! Are you alright?" Roxy almost screamed down the phone. "Where have you been?"

"I can't feel my arm," Nicole whispered, avoiding the questions. "Where are you?"

"I'm on my way to see you, baby. I'll be with you when you get to the hospital, alright?"

"Ok."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

Holly took the phone back and spoke into it. "Rox, she's in safe hands."

"I know. But that doesn't make this any easier."

"I understand. When you get here, you'll be able to help her by staying strong. I've got to go now, but don't worry. She's in the best possible place right now." Hanging up, Holly slid the phone back into her pocket. She turned to Nicole. "We're nearly at the hospital, ok. Then we'll get your arm sorted out."

"Ok," Nicole replied. She looked up at Nikki. "Will you get your arm fixed too?"


	10. Chapter 9

The ambulance pulled up in Holby City Hospital car park. The back door flew open and Holly helped Dixie get the stretcher out. Nikki could only watch, but followed them into the hospital. Jay and Jessica came to join them as they wheeled the youngster into the side room.

"Nicole?" Jessica asked, shocked.

"You know her?" Ruth stretched out and came over to examine her.

Jessica nodded. "She's Amelia's friend." She bent over Nicole and placed an oxygen mask over her. "This'll just keep you calm, alright, sweetheart?"

"Ok," Nicole agreed. She recognised Jessica, and as such, was happy to let her treat her. "Where's Nikki?"

"What's that?"

"Nikki," Nicole repeated. "The paramedic with the bad arm. I want her here. She's nice."

Holly turned to Jay. "Try and find her. She'll probably be outside somewhere."

Jay nodded and pushed open the door. There were lots of people in the reception, and he didn't know who Nikki was, but he sussed there weren't many paramedics he didn't know. He looked around, but there was only Jeff, leaning on the counter and chatting to Noel.

"Do either of you know where Nikki is?"

"She's with Poll," Jeff supplied. "Getting coffee for me and Dix."

Jay headed along the corridor and, true to Jeff's word, found the two paramedics at the vending machine. Nikki was sitting on the stair, head in hands, and Polly was seemingly consoling her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Nikki looked up. "How's Nicole?"

"She'll be fine. She's asking after you, by the way."

Nikki nodded to acknowledge this, but didn't move.

"Go and see her," Polly coaxed. "She's only a kid. She needs some support."

"What can I do, though?" Nikki almost shouted. "I feel bloody useless; I don't actually know why I came back here other than, oh, nobody else would hire someone with only one working arm."

"Hey, calm down." Jay reached out a hand, which Nikki rejected with a shrug.

"Easy for you to say. You don't know what it's like, living like this. Nicole seems convinced my arm will be fixed just like hers, and it won't. How can I face her and say that?"

Polly sighed. "You'll just have to be honest with her. You'll know what to say. Go and see her. It'll do you both good."

Nikki nodded, and stood up slowly. "I suppose so." She turned and began to walk along the corridor. Jay and Polly followed, and as they entered the waiting area, Holly approached them.

"We've lost the father," she told Polly. "Ruth's working on Nicole now, but it's looking good. She'll probably regain full use of her arm."

Polly nodded. "I didn't think he'd last long; he'd lost too much blood."

Suddenly, Holly heard her name being called across the hospital. She looked across to the source of the shouting to see Roxy standing in the entrance. Hurrying over, she began to explain everything to the distressed woman.

"I want to see her!" Roxy insisted. "I want to see my baby."

Holly led her into the side room where Ruth had Nicole connected up to a machine and was attempting to move her arm.

"Mummy!" Nicole shouted, attempting to sit up but was restrained by the machine.

Roxy threw her arms around her daughter. "It's alright now sweetheart, I'm here. You're going to be alright, I promise."

Sitting beside them, Nikki felt a tear roll down her cheek.


	11. Chapter 10

"Alright, Nicole, I want you to try and move your arm for me." Ruth disconnected the machine, and Nicole raised her arm slowly.

"I can move it!"

"What about this?" Ruth pinched the end of Nicole's fingers, and the girl nodded.

"Your nails are sharp." Then the realisation dawned on her, and she broke into a grin. "I can feel my arm! It's better! Thank you, doctor." She paused and looked at Nikki. "Can you fix hers as well?"

"That's not possible, darling." Holly spoke, sensing from Nikki's facial expression that she didn't want to have to go into a lengthy explanation why. "Nikki's arm was hurt in a different way to yours, and a long time ago. It can't get fixed now."

"Oh." Nicole sounded disappointed. She turned to Ruth. "Can I go home now?"

"Not yet. We need to put your arm in plaster so it heals properly."

Nicole nodded and accepted this fact. She looked at her mother and cocked her head to one side. "Mummy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Who was the man who took me to his house? He said he was my dad, but I heard him on the phone to someone and he said I'm not his daughter. So who is my dad?"

Roxy ran a hand through her hair and let out a deep sigh. "I suppose I'm going to have to tell you everything. I used to have a boyfriend called Hakkan, and he thought he was your father. I went out with a man called Mark before him, who's your real dad, and I never told Hak any different. He disappeared when you were a baby, but I heard from him a few years ago, saying he wanted to be part of your life. I told him not to come near us again."

"Why?"

"He tried to rob our house. Me, Nikki and a nurse called Anna used to share a house, and Hakkan tried to steal all our stuff. He's a bad man, which was why I didn't want him near you."

"I remember that." Nikki mused, turning the memory over in her mind. She'd forgotten about that particular event. It had helped the trio bond, in an ironic way. "Something to do with a fridge, wasn't it?"

Roxy nodded and laughed. "We had some good times back then."

"We did," Nikki agreed. "I haven't heard from Anna in ages."

"Nor me." Roxy ruffled Nicole's hair. "Maybe we ought to try and contact her again."

Holly came over to Nicole and crouched down. "We need to go and put your arm in plaster now."

Nicole nodded. "Can it be pink?"

"Not this time, but when you get the second one, it can if you want."

Big Mac entered the room with a wheelchair, into which Nicole climbed. Escorted by Roxy, they left the room.

"How are you?" Holly asked Nikki, heading out into the waiting area.

Nikki nodded. "I think it'll be alright here, actually. I was considering quitting but Nicole's made me see I don't need to do things to help her. Just being there was enough."

Holly smiled at this. "Good for you."


	12. Chapter 11

_Last chapter, guys. Thanks for sticking with this story, it's been quite a while in it's writing but I'm glad it's finished now. If you want any more Casualty stories, I can write ficlets on request, just drop me a message and I'll see what I can do._

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Nicole's arm was plastered and bandaged pretty quickly, so when the clock reached three and Holly had to leave work to pick Patrick up, she gave Nicole and Roxy a lift to the school. The youngster had been adamant she wanted to see her friends, as she supposed they would be worried about her and she wanted to prove she was alright. Although shaken, there had been nothing else physically wrong with her and so Ruth had agreed to discharge her.

Nicole held Roxy's hand as they entered the school gate. Adam was already there, waiting to pick up Amelia and Lucas, and pretty soon the doors opened and the crowds of kids came flocking over to their parents. Patrick ran over to Holly, then, on seeing Nicole, pushed his lunchbox into his mother's hand and hugged his friend.

"I was worried about you," he admitted.

"I've got a bad arm," Nicole declared to the children that had began to gather around her, eager to hear the story. "But I'm fine. And I've got a new friend whose arm doesn't work at all, but she's really nice and works at the hospital."

"I missed you," Amelia pushed forward to speak to her best friend. "I was lonely in class without you. Are you going to be back tomorrow?"

"We'll have to see about that." Roxy spoke before her daughter could commit to anything. "Come on, Patrick's mum's giving us a lift home."

Nicole nodded and hugged Amelia, who walked across the playground to join her stepfather and brother. Holly and Roxy followed the two children out of the playground and towards the car.

"I'm so glad she's alright," Roxy breathed. "I don't know what I'd have done if I'd lost her."

"Don't worry about that now. You've got her back safely and that's all that matters."

"I owe you so much for helping her."

"Me? Nikki's the one she really looked up to today. They bonded so well, it's incredible."

Patrick stopped beside his mother's car and turned to Nicole. "Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked quietly.

Nicole considered this, then nodded. "Ok."

As they climbed into the back of the car, unbeknown to their parents, the two children sat hand in hand. Had Roxy known the situation, she might have warned Nicole off boys, given her own track record, and Holly would have definitely not wanted Patrick to have as many girlfriends as his father had. But as Nicole had discovered that day, when Nikki had chatted to her when they were waiting for Roxy, life was too short not to do the things you want to do.


End file.
